Bus driver resigns after being caught on camera texting
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EDEN, N.C. -- The superintendent of Rockingham County Schools spoke out Wednesday about a former school bus driver caught on camera texting while driving her school bus.
The incident happened Sept. 21 and the driver resigned two days later.
Superintendent Rodney Shotwell said he notified parents of incident Tuesday.
He said the hard drive on one of three cameras on board the bus driven by 37-year old Connie Hankins confirmed the claim of an anonymous caller, that Hankins texted on her cell phone while driving.
"We did find definitive evidence on the hard drive that she indeed did violate not only state law but also the expectations that we have here with our board," Shotwell said.
He said Hankins texted three times, two of those while the bus was moving. He said it was.a dangerous activity whether a bus was full of children or empty.
"I had to think of it as a superintendent but more specifically as a parent,” said Shotwell. “My oldest child started kindergarten this year and he has ridden a bus several times and I would be mortified knowing that his bus driver was texting and had him on the bus."
Shotwell said bus drivers undergo an annual orientation and knew well that texting while driving was a violation of state law. He said he assured parents that this was not a common occurrence
"Don't let this one example change your perspective about the other dedicated employees that we do have," Shotwell said
Hankins was scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 18.
Shotwell said while Hankins still held her other district position in the kitchen at Draper Elementary, she's paid a heavy price for the violation.
"She went from being a full time employee to a part time employee and she lost health insurance,” said Shotwell. “She lost retirement."
While Hankins technically would be eligible to be reinstated as a bus driver after one year and after passing a bus driving class, Shotwell said that wouldn't happen.
"Her future driving a bus with Rockingham County Schools is over,” said Shotwell. “It's not going to happen anymore. Not for us."